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Online portfolio another option for job seekers

The Lowell Sun

Updated:
09/09/2012 07:11:56 AM EDT

In previous articles regarding a global resume survey, a growing number of hiring managers affirmed the idea of a video or online portfolio as another avenue for job seekers to present their strengths.

The idea of an online portfolio has been around for a long time and has never really captured a significant fan base among recruiters or hiring managers. Nevertheless, with the increases in job competition and candidate scrutiny there is interest.

There is also a word of caution. Online, multimedia or other types of presentation should never, at least for now, substitute for all the key information in the traditional resume. Finding a job is hard work. It requires preparation, diligence and resources that are up-to-date and well prepared for the recruiter, human-resource manager or hiring manager. The resume and cover letter represents the first line of communication, and should be considered primary. But there are other tools.

Many professionals use a career portfolio, a logically organized collection of records that reflect accomplishments, skills and attributes. They use it to highlight work and life experience in a way that helps both you and the interviewer follow your career path.

The challenge is presenting a positive, believable and accurate picture with substance and credibility. A well prepared portfolio, video or web site provides a comprehensive record of accomplishments and adds credibility to the job search. Many people never take the time to thoroughly examine their accomplishments and attributes, but knowing who you are and what you want can help you achieve career goals.

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In fact, you can learn a lot through the exercise of gathering artifacts and information for the multimedia presentation.

Portfolios or online presentations are a complement particularly useful in the interview. When you show the portfolio or video, you can use it to introduce yourself or explain how the entries fit a pattern of professional growth. Personal websites or career web portfolios can give the job seeker a very practical tool to get in front of the interviewer in a visual manner and provide an additional introduction that could make a difference.

Multimedia presentation, either web or off-line, are very affordable, and can be quickly created from vendor templates for an enhanced presentation. This personal website, an inventory of skills, attributes and work history showcases professionalism in unique and interesting ways. It is highly visual, easy-to-create and menu-driven, yet flexible enough to personalize with your own "special something."

These days, one of the first things a recruiter or hiring manager does after receiving a promising lead is to search for the person on Google, LinkedIn and social-media sites. Creating your own website or displaying your work on a larger platform gives you some control over what is found. Even if you aren't looking for a job, keeping an online portfolio can be a way to keep track of your accomplishments and industry activities. Be sure to let your boss know about the site and make clear that you are using it to showcase your work as part of your long-term career goals.

Content usually includes samples of your best work, including articles, reports, PowerPoint presentations and links to blog entries. Portfolios are especially useful for work that can be presented visually, like photography, illustrations and ad campaigns.

These presentations can also illuminate your thought processes. When managers look to hire or promote someone, they want to see more than just experience. They are also looking for work process, how candidates do their work, who they collaborate with and how they test ideas.

Some presentations even show an early version of a project, the final version and the iterations in between, or reveal a process by telling the story of how the project was accomplished.

Online portfolios, videos and/or personal web sites seem a natural fit for creative professionals but are also useful for those in noncreative fields like accounting, finance or law. Having a consistent, online record of accomplishments will make you more. People with very specific technical skills, like engineers and programmers, can show examples of websites they have built or projects that used a particular programming language.

Finally, visual creations can contribute to the important idea of personal branding. Personal branding is one reason so many join online networking communities such as LinkedIn. Personal branding is analogous to a traditional public relations campaign.

The first step is identifying those unique or special attributes that sets you apart. This is followed with the development of a set of messages that articulates those differentiators followed by an active campaign that delivers those messages through the broad range of media. Here is where the multimedia video, portfolio and/or website plays a big role.

At the end of the campaign, if it is successful, a wider audience enables the individual to gain enhanced name recognition, and with that recognition are attached the attributes for which the individual would like to be recognized.

Judit Price is a masters-level career guidance counselor, certified career master, international job transition coach and a career development facilitator. She is also a principal at Berke and Price Associates, Skills for Career Services, in Chelmsford. Contact her at jprice@careercampaign.com.

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